A revolution in communications has occurred in the 21st Century. People can communicate in a large number of ways that were unimaginable only a couple of decades ago. It is now commonplace to communicate using e-mail, text messaging, blogging, and through social websites. However, despite the influx of new communication methods, the use of a telephone has actually increased. A variety of computing devices, such as cameras, video recorders, pagers, organizers, video game systems, and so forth have all been integrated with the telephone. The vast majority of people now own their own personal telephone with a unique telephone number, enabling them to communicate more frequently. The large increase in the number of telephones that has occurred in recent years, in spite of all of the new forms of interpersonal communication, shows the importance that is placed on oral communications over the written word.
Nevertheless, the revolution in communications has not made it significantly easier to contact other persons using the telephone. This is especially true at work, where people's work hours are often divided between meetings, trips, and work outside of one's office or primary working location. It is still commonplace for business associates to play “telephone tag”, wherein phone calls are repeatedly missed, and voice mails left in their place, often with increasing frustration. The inability to efficiently contact business associates using a telephone often results in significant inefficiencies in decision making, business deals, and other work related activities.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.